Page 10- The Michigan Daily -Wednesday, January 17, 1990 Driven to understanding Driving Miss Daisyj dir. Bruce Beresford BY MARK BINELLI The problem with Driving Miss Daisy, the film adaptation of Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, is that beneath its excellent acting, directing, and scenery lies a disap- pointingly average story. Morgan Freeman (Clean and Sober) stars as Hoke, the character he created and won a best actor Obie for on stage. Hoke is an elderly Black chauffer who is hired as a driver for a wealthy Jewish widow, Miss Daisy, played by Jessica Tandy. Co-star Dan Aykroyd does a decent job (although his part mainly codsists of nodding a lot and saying, "Yes, Mama") as Boolie, Miss Daisy's concerned son, who hires Hoke after his mother crashes the car whilebacking out of her driveway. At first, the stubborn Miss Daisy hafes Hoke's presence. She is deter- mided not to be a burden on her son ,nfi refuses to admit that she needs sormeone to drive her around. But eventually Hoke's earnestness and down-to-earth charm win her over ("Only took me six days - same time it took the Lord to make the world," he tells Boolie). The film documents their developing friend- ship over the period from 1948 to 1973. Bruce Beresford's (Crimes of the Heart) laid-back directing as well as the extremely authentic setting cap- ture the feel of the postwar South, and Freeman and Tandy both do fan- Freeman and Tandy both do fantastic jobs in transforming relatively two- dimensional characters (the amiable-but-proud Black man and the crochety-but-kind white woman) into real, likeable people that we can really care about. But nothing can really change the fact that Driving Miss Daisy is basically an odd- couple buddy movie... tastic jobs in transforming relativey two-dimensional characters (the ami- able-but-proud Black man and the crochety-but-kind white woman) into real, likeable people that we can re- ally care about. But nothing can re- ally change the fact that Driving Miss Daisy is basically an odd-coa- ple buddy movie, maybe with a bit more substance than, say, Tango and Cash, but still not very impressive. At best, the plot is comfortably predictable. Miss Daisy is ready to fire Hoke after finding one of her 33# cans of salmon missing but, sure enough, Hoke shows up at work the next morning with another can and an apology for stealing a snack when he was hungry. When Miss Daisy's synagogue is bombed, Hoke is there to help her deal with the discriminatory act. When Hoke confesses that he is illiterate, Miss Daisy, a former schoolteacher, is there to help him learn to read. Thus their relationship develops in a somewhat shallow manner. Sometimes the simplicity of the story is good, as in the case of Hoke's understated happiness at leav- ing Georgia for the first time while driving Miss Daisy to a party. At other times, however, it can be an- noying, such as in the film's han- dling of racism. Throughout the film Miss Daisy insists that she is not prejudiced, but she refers to Blacks as "they" or "them." The climax of the film seems to come when she goes to hear Martin Luther King Jr. speak and Hoke must listen outside in the car. She obviously feels bad for not inviting him in, especially when King speaks of "the fear and apathy of the children of light." But we never see her act on how she feels. Perhaps if the story had dealt with a shorter time period, the strange friendship between two peo- ple who were not supposed to be friends could have been one of sub- stance. Instead, it is just a nice story, and not much more. DRIVING MISS DAISY is playing at Showcase. 0 9 .. Share the news, Da ti1 TAKE A STATION BREAK. First, pause for station identification. It'll be easy 'cause there's always a Little Caesars Pizza Station nearby. Besides great pizza, you'll also love our pasta, salads and v ,sandwiches. Take your break in - or take it to go. Either way, take it with one of our money saving breaks below. Miss Daisy (Jessica Tandy) waits in her car as her chauffeur Hoke, driver's seat. Freeman also appears in Glory (see p. 8). (Morgan Freeman) takes a break from the ...r a & ANN ARBOR 1220 S. UNIVERSITY 665-2034 Central Student Judiciary is Now Taking Applications For Jan. 1990 - Jan. 1991 Terms For More Information Call Laura Miller 747-8173 Graduate Students Are Encouraged to Apply T wil M VALUABLE COUPON M M VALUABLE COUPON M M VALUABLE COUPON M WO SMALL TTWO LARGE I BABY WOPANMPAN!T, PIZZAS PIZZAS I ANdpasN h cheese and I2toppings* with cheese and I2toppings* 16 .o. Soft Drink IL i I I I I I I $798 T$w18o 24 Plus Tax Plus Tax Pius i Pice validinUSA ony rce validin Priceyv A Two adorable little individi i i hh di ax vald inUSAonly. ual sized pan '--i f i i Valid only with coupon at participating Little Caesars. Extra toppings available at additional cost. *Excludes extra cheese. 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